Old Tamil Poetry

Translations of Tamil Poetic works that span 2000 years

24 Sep 2016

Kalingathup Parani – 62

Beads of sweat rolling in crescent like forehead,
chains swinging between bosoms, dark tresses
adorned with flowers disheveling, bangles jingling-
Women who so make love, open your doors.

கூடு மிளம்பிறையிற் குறுவெயர் முத்துருளக்
கொங்கை வடம்புரளச் செங்கழு நீரளகக்
காடு குலைந்தலையக் கைவளை பூசலிடக்
கலவி விடாமடவீர் கடைதிற மின்றிறமின்.

Written by Jeyamkondar in 12th Century, Kalingathup Parani details the victory of Chola army led by Karunakara  Thondaiman over the Kalinga (present day Odisha) kingdom. In the first part of the work, the poet asks women to open their doors to their valorous lovers.

In this poem, he says “women who are generally in a state of dishevel while making love, open your doors”.

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23 Sep 2016

Naaladiyaar – 12

Friendships unraveled, wise men moved away
people’s affection too waned;- think about it;
What did you gain by youthful pleasure? pain
awaits you, like a sinking ship.

நட்புநார் அற்றன நல்லாரும் அஃகினார்
அற்புத் தளையும் அவிழ்ந்தன ;- உட்காணாய் ;
வாழ்தலின் ஊதியம் என்னுண்டாம் ? வந்ததே
ஆழ்கலத் தன்ன கலி.

This poem is about the ephemeral nature of youth. Since you put your pleasures first, your friendships unraveled, wise men moved away from you, affection of your relatives too weakened. Think about it. What did you gain by the so called pleasure. Like a sinking ship, your youthfulness will be lost suddenly and all you will be left with is pain.

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22 Sep 2016

Thirukkural – 1124

She’s like the life-force that keeps me alive;
her departure is like death to me.

வாழ்தல் உயிர்க்கு அன்னள், ஆயிழை; சாதல்
அதற்கு அன்னள், நீங்கும் இடத்து.

This is him feeling sad when his lover leaves him. “When we are hugging each other, she is like the life giving force that keeps me alive. When she leaves me , it is like my life leaving me and I feel dead “.

He describes her as ஆயிழை – jeweled beauty. I have settled for a prosaic ‘she’.

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20 Sep 2016

Kambaramayanam – 31

தாது உகு சோலை தோறும், சண்பகக் காடு தோறும்,
போது அவிழ் பொய்கை தோறும், புது மணல் தடங்கள் தோறும்,
மாதவி வேலிப் பூக வனம் தோறும், வயல்கள் தோறும்,
ஓதிய உடம்பு தோறும், உயிர் என உலாயது, அன்றே.

Through pollen strewn groves and champak tree jungles,
fresh bloom ponds and lake beds with fresh sands,
creeper fenced areca gardens and fertile farmlands,
like a soul passing through various forms, flows the Sarayu.

This is Kamban describing River Sarayu that flows through Kosala country. The capital city of Ayodhya is situated on the banks of  Sarayu. During its course it runs along groves, jungles, ponds, pools, fenced gardens and farm lands. Though the scenario along its banks changes, the river is the same. Kamban equates it to a soul passing through various physical forms as defined in scriptures. ‘The universal soul’ is the corner stone of all ‘Vedanta’ philosophies.

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17 Sep 2016

Manimekalai – Sirai Vidu Kaathai 73-80

Do you cry for his body or for his soul?
If you cry for his body, who was it (but you)
that consigned your son’s body to cemetery?
If you cry for his soul, where it is headed  
is hard to know as that’s decided by destiny.
If that soul is dear to you, my lady,
you should grieve for all souls.

உடற்குஅழு தனையோ உயிர்க்குஅழு தனையோ     
உடற்குஅழு தனையேல் உன்மகன் தன்னை     
எடுத்துப் புறங்காட்டு இட்டனர் யாரே
உயிர்க்குஅழு தனையேல் உயிர்புகும் புக்கில்     
செயப்பாட்டு வினையால் தெரிந்துஉணர்வு அரியது     
அவ்வுயிர்க்கு அன்பினை ஆயின் ஆய்தொடி     
எவ்வுயிர்க்கு ஆயினும் இரங்கல் வேண்டும்

Manimekalai is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. It is a Buddhist epic. The protagonist Manimekalai is the daughter of Madhavi, one of the central characters of the epic Silappathikaaram. Hence Silappathikaaram and Manimekalai are considered as twin epics. Manimekalai is dated between 300-600 CE.

The Chola King Udhayakumaran falls madly in love with Manimekalai. But she wants to be a Buddhist nun. To escape his clutches she transforms herself into another woman , Kaayasandikai. When the King realises that it is Manimekalai in another form, the pursues her again. The real Kaayasandikai’s husband Kanchanan  mistakes this and kills the King. The King’s mother wants to take revenge on Manimekalai for her son’s death. She tries to torture Manimekalai, but all her efforts fail. She realises that she has failed and falls at Manimekalai’s feet.

This poem is Manimekalai assuaging the pain of King’s mother. She says, “Do you cry for your son’s body or soul. If you cry for his body, it was you who consigned his dead body to the graveyard, not me. If you cry for his soul, it is hard to know what form his soul will take in next birth as it is decided only by his deeds in previous birth (karma/fate). So my dear lady, if you love your son’s soul, you should grieve and empathise with all souls in this universe”

The last two lines make this poem universal.
அவ்வுயிர்க்கு அன்பினை ஆயின் …எவ்வுயிர்க்கு ஆயினும் இரங்கல் வேண்டும் – If that soul is dear to you, you should grieve for all souls.

This poem also explains the Buddhist philosophy of rebirth. You can read the wiki here

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16 Sep 2016

Thirukkural – 1255

Dignity to not pine for one who caused them grief,
is not something a love-sick person knows.

செற்றார்பின் செல்லாப் பெருந்தகைமை, காம நோய்
உற்றார் அறிவது ஒன்று அன்று.

He has been away for long. Her friend advises her to forget him,as he has deserted her. She replies, “I should have the dignity and self-respect to not pine for one who has caused me grief. True. But that dignity is something a  love-sick person doesn’t know. Love tramples all propriety and overwhelms me.”

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12 Sep 2016

Thirukkural – 302

Anger where one is powerless is bad; where
one is powerful, it is even worse.

செல்லா இடத்துச் சினம் தீது; செல் இடத்தும்,
இல், அதனின் தீய பிற.

Anger destroys a man. Showing anger against a stronger opponent is bad news. It will be disastrous for you in this world. Showing anger against the meek is even worse. Showing your anger against those who can’t fight back destroys the humanity in man kind. It will make one suffer in afterlife too.

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11 Sep 2016

Kambaramayanam – 14

பம்பி மேகம் பரந்தது, ‘பானுவால்
நம்பன் மாதுலன் வெம்மையை நண்ணினான்;
அம்பின் ஆற்றதும்’ என்று அகன்குன்றின்மேல்
இம்பர் வாரி எழுந்தது போன்றதே.

Clouds crowding to spread over the peak
was like seas rising atop the mountain
saying, “our father-in-law suffers from heat
because of the sun; let’s cool him down”.

In the epics the river was considered as wife and the ocean as husband. Since the river is born in the mountains, the mountains became father in law for the ocean. The poet imagines that the clouds spreading over the mountain are but sea water that has come in aid of its father in law.

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10 Sep 2016

Thirukkural – 1100

When our eyes meet together in love,
words we utter are useless anyhow.

கண்ணொடு கண் இணை நோக்கு ஒக்கின், வாய்ச் சொற்கள்
என்ன பயனும் இல.

When the lovers eyes meet together in love, their eyes convey their feelings for each other. The words uttered are useless as the words come just from their lips. What their hearts think about is conveyed by their eyes.

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01 Sep 2016

Naaladiyaar – 35

Those who crushed cane and made cubes out of it early in the day,
won’t lament when it turns to pulp and is set ablaze;-
those who worked hard and used their life to do good,
won’t grieve when death appears.

கரும்பு ஆட்டி, கட்டி சிறுகாலைக் கொண்டார்
துரும்பு எழுந்து வேங்கால் துயர் ஆண்டு உழவார்;-
வருந்தி உடம்பின் பயன் கொண்டார், கூற்றம்
வருங்கால் பரிவது இலர்

Once you have got the sugar out of the cane, you won’t grieve if the pulpy residue is consigned to fire. You have got the best out of it. Similarly one who has used his body/life to the best of his abilities to do good deeds won’t grieve when death appears.  Because the purpose of their life is fully achieved and what is left is just the residue. Early morning is to denote that one should start doing good deeds early in life instead of postponing it.

The literal translation of the third line is “those who have strained to get the maximum out of their body”. The literal translation might give a completely different meaning from what was intended by the Jain monks who wrote poems in this anthology. This poem after all appears  in the chapter of “Reinforcing Morality” – அறன் வலியுறுத்தல். Hence I took the liberty to replace ‘body’ with ‘life’, to be true to the meaning of the poem.

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